Daniel p



(No Model.)

D. P. PRESCOTT.

GAR COUPLING.

Patented Dec. .30, 1884.

ATTQRNEY INVENI'OR Ill vmmssns:

UNITED STATES DANIEL P. PRESCOTT, OF VERNON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO E.F. BROOKS:

OF BRATTLEBOROUGH, VERMONT.

CAR-COUPLING.

.BPECIPICATTON forming part of Letters Patent No. 310,082, datedDecember 30, 1884.

Application filed May 9, 1884.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL P. PRESCOTT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Vernon, in the county of WVindham and State of Vermont, haveinvented new and useful Improvemcnts in Oar-Couplings, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in car-couplings, the objectbeing to provide, in combination with a draw-bar having a linkfulcrum inits mouth, such as is shown in my patent of January 11, 1881, animproved linkpin and draw-bar to receive it, and means for raising andlowering the outer end of thelink through the vertical movement of thepin operated by devices from the sides or top of the car, and toprovide, in combination with said improved pin, means for holding it inan elevated position for dropping it automatically and for suspending itin the draw-bar to have its bearing-shoulder when the cars are coupledheld clear of the vertical vibrations of the link due to the motion ofthe cars.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure l is a viewof one end of a carbody having applied thereto a car-coupling embodyingmy improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, and Fig. 3 is a planview, of the outer end of the draw-bar. Fig. 4 is a View of thecoupling-pin, showing the working position of the link thereon. Fig.5illustrates modified means of holding up rod 1), which may besubstituted for lever h in Fig. 1.

In the drawings, A indicates the end of a car, provided with the usualdead-wood, 11, and having the draw-bar B connected therewith in theusual manner. The draw-bar B has on the lower side of its mouth afulcrumblock, 6, substantially like that shown in my said patent, andhas an oval-shaped pin-hole, '0, through it, instead of the usual roundone, which pinhole communicates with a narrow vertical chamber, a,directly in the rear of said pin-hole. A pin-supporting latch, s, is

pivoted in said chamber a, on one side thereof, and out of the way ofthe web a on the pin 0. The body of the coupling-pin c is of oval formin cross-section, and is adapted to fairly fill the pin-hole e in thedraw-bar B, and when placed in the latter as in Fig. 1 the strain of thelink is against one of its narrow edges and (N0 model.)

in a direction through its widest part below the web a, the workingposition of the link d on the pin being shown by the dotted lines inFig. 4.

The coupling-pin is provided with a head, 3, which projects at rightangles to the body 2, and with a web, a, united to the under edge of theprojecting part of the head 3 and the adjoining rear edge of the pin,and extending about halfway the length of the latter, more or less. Thehead of the pin is perforated transversely, as shown.

To provide means for lifting the couplingpin clear from link d, and forelevating and depressing the outer end of the link to guide it into anapproaching coupling-mouth without going between the cars, ashereinafter described, the pin 0 is connected with the rod I), hung onthe end of the car and having its lower end bent outward and terminatingover the pin, the latter being connected with the part b of said rod bythe short link-rod f. The pin 0 is suspended in the draw-bar when inworking position, as shown in Fig. 1, hanging upon rod 1), so that itmay, when not drawn upon by the link, be free to be moved up or down towork the latter, as above described, and for the purpose ofcounterbalancing the weight of the pin, rod 1), and the ends of levers an the lever h is pivoted on the car just over the dead-wood i, and thelower end thereof rests on the latter, and rod 1) rests on the short armof lever h. The levers a a have their inner ends pivoted to the rod Z)at w, and extend through the straps 0 just beyond the sides of the car.

In Fig. 5 is shown a portion of the end of the car A and the lower endof the rod 12, if being one of the eyebolts supporting said rod, throughwhich is a pin, 2. A coil-spring, w, is placed on rod 12 between theeyebolt and said pin, which may, if desired, be used in place of thelever h to hold the pin 0 and its rod and lever connections suspended,as aforesaid.

The operation of my improvements is as follows: hen the draw-bar B is tobe selfcoupled to another having alink in it, the rod 1) is drawn upwardby grasping its upper end or by workin one of levers a a, and pin 0 isthereby lifterf until its lower end is higher than the free end ofthelatch s, when thelatter falls forward and the pin is allowed to reston the latch. Vhen said moving oouplin g enters draw-bar B and strikeslatch s, the latter is pushed from under the pin and the latter dropsthrough the coupling to the position shown in Fig. 1, locking the carstogether. If a drawbar approaches one having a link therein, as in saidFig. 1, the operator by rod 1) or one of levers or moves pin a up ordown, he lower end of web a bearing on the end of thelink d, and thelatter having a vibratory movement on the fulcrum-block c, and the outerend of the link is properly guided to enter the approaching mouth.

The above-described form of couplingpin provides one of great strength.Its web a extends so far back in chamber a that the coupling cannot pushby its edge and disturb its position, and its head and strongest partonly is allowed to be exposed to any blow from another car wherebyit maybe broken, and the pin cannot by any action of the car he made to boundout of the coupling.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is-- 1. In a car-coupling, a draw-headhavinga fulcrum-block in its lower mouth-surface in front of thecoupling-pin, a vertical couplingpin provided with a shoulder adapted tobear 1 upon the end of the link upon being depressed, and a connection,substantially as shown and described, from the top of the pin outside ofthe draw-head to operating-rods upon the end of the car-body and to acounterpoise-lever hinged upon the end of the car, adapting the pin tobe depressed manually to have its shoulder bear upon the link, andoperating constantly to hold the pin when the cars are in motion withsaid shoulder removed from contact with the link, as and for the purposeset forth.

2. "he coupling-pin 0, having a body, 2, of

oval form in cross-section, and the head 3, projecting at right anglesfrom said body, and the draw-bar B, having the oval pin-holeo therein,combined and operating substantially as set forth. 3. The coupling-pin0, having abody ofoval form in cross-sectiou, a head, 3, projecting atright anglesfrom said body, and the web a, connected to said head andthe adjoining side of the pin, substantially as set forth.

DANIEL P. PRESCOTT.

\Vitnesses:

H. A. CHAPIN, J. D. GARFIELD.

